Electric switch with terminal assembly especially adapted for connection to printed circuits



June 18, 1957 W. A. BAR DEN ETAL ELECTRIC SWITCH WITH TERMINAL ASSEHBLY ESPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR CONNECTION TO PRINTED CIRCUITS Filed larch 19, 1956 7 dmdw w Wayne .A.E7arc7en Arihur M17511} .H'zlberiz United States Patent ELECTRIC SWITCH WITH TERMINAL ASSEMBLY ESPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR CONNECTION TO PRINTED CIRCUITS Wayne A. Barden, Elkhart, Ind., Arthur M. Daily, Ed-

' wardsburg, Mich., and Hilbert L. Slough, Elkhart, Ind., assignors to Chicago Telephone Supply Corporation, Elkhart, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application March 19, 1956, Serial No. 572,325

1 Claim. (Cl. 200-166) This invention relates to electric switches of the type used in radio and television receivers and generally mounted on the back of a variable resistor to be operable by the control shaft of the resistor, as in the combination control of the copending application Serial No. 403,401, filed January 11, 1954, now Patent No. 2,765,384, Oct. 21, 1956, by Mervin B. Arisman to which the present invention is closely related.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive way of adapting such a switch for convenient connection into a printed circuit.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive terminal assembly securable to the back of the switch, which not only adapts the switch to easy and quick connection into a printed circuit, without necessitating any change in the switch from the design and construction found desirable through years of experience, but in addition provides an added support for the switch and the variable resistor with which the switch may be associated, and also suitably insulates the terminals by which the switch is connected in the printed circuit from the metal cover or housing of the switch.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claim, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claim.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one complete example of the physical embodiments of the invention constructed according to the best mode so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof and in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a combined resistor and switch having the terminal assembly of this invention incorporated therein and showing the control mounted on a printed circuit panel;

Figure 2 is a rear view of the thus mounted control;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the terminal assembly per se shown detached from the switch; and

Figure 4 is a perspective detail view showing part of one of the terminal members of the terminal assembly.

Referring now particularly to the accompanying drawing, the numeral 5 designates generally a combination control consisting of a variable resistor 6 and an electric switch 7 arranged in tandem with the switch mounted on the back of the resistor so that both components are operable by a common control shaft 8. The control is adapted to be mounted upon a supporting panel 9 on which the various circuit leads 10 are printed. The mounting of the control upon the panel 9 is effected primarily by means of a bracket 11 fixed to the front of the resistor 6 and provided with spaced apart legs 12 which embrace the control and have a plug-in or snap-in engagement with the panel 9. The copending application, Serial Patented June 18, 1957 ice No. 403,401, filed January 11, 1954, by Mervin B. Arisman, describes this mounting bracket in greater detail. It should be noted that in the mounting of the control the terminals 13 (only two of which are shown) of the variable resistor protrude through the mounting panel 9 to be connected to their respective leads of the printed circuit.

The instrumentalities of the resistor and also of the switch form no part of this invention and therefore have not been illustrated. It is suificient to observe that the switch is contained within a housing comprising a fiat end wall 14 of insulating material and a cylindrical metal side wall 15 having an inturned flange 16 overlying the outer rear face of the end wall 14. The stationary contacts 17 of the switch are mounted on the inner face of the end wall 14 and have terminal extensions 18 projecting rearwardly through and beyond the end wall 14. The switch may be of the type forming the subject matter of Patent No. 2,660,634, issued November 24, 1953, and if it is of the double pole single throw type, there are of course, four stationary switch contacts, and hence four terminal extensions 18.

Flatwise overlying the rear end wall 14 is the terminal assembly of this invention, indicated generally by the numeral 19. This terminal assembly comprises a plate of insulating material 20 of a size to cover the entire rear face of the switch, and preferably has an inverted U shape so as to have a round upper end and a straight bottom edge 21. The height of the plate is approximately one and one-half times the diameter of the switch housing and its width is substantially equal to the diameter of the switch housing.

Along its bottom edge 21 the plate 20 has a row of notches 22 preferably equispaced and all projecting substantially the same distance in from the edge 21. A corresponding number of slots or oblong shaped holes 23 is formed in the portion of the plate 20 which overlies the rear wall 14 of the switch. These holes are so located and disposed that they align with the terminal extensions 18, and when the terminal assembly is in position on the switch, the terminal extensions pass through the holes 23. Since there are four terminal extensions 18 there are four holes 23 and four notches 22, the holes and notches being paired.

For each pair of holes and notches there is a terminal member 24. These terminal members are stamped from sheet metal and are fiat throughout except for small offsets or hooked portions 25 medially of their ends. These offsets or hooked portions 25 are formed by piercing and punching down part of the metal as best shown in Figure 4. Beyond the offsets or hooked portions 25, the terminal members have narrow end portions 26 which form prongs, and it is to be noted that the prongs of all of the terminal members are of the same size and shape.

The hooks or offsets 25 are of a width to be snugly received in the notches 22 and when the terminal membets are in position with their hooks or offset portions 25 fully engaged in the notches embracing the bottoms of the notches, their opposite or inner end portions 27 overlie the holes 23. These opposite end portions 27 of the terminal members all have a generally P-shaped formation but have different lengths to reach their respective holes 23, and also to assure maximum electrical clearance or spacing between adjacent terminal members. Where they overlie the holes 23 the end portions 27 have holes shaped and positioned to align with the holes 23 in the plate 20 so that the terminal extensions may also project through the terminal members 24 and be soldered thereto as at 28.

It follows, therefore, that when the terminal members 24 are assembled on the plate and the plate is mounted on the switch, the terminal members will be held in place conjointly by the soldered connections 28 and the engagement of their hooks 25 over the bottoms of the notches 22. So positioned, the prong portions 26 are parallel with one another and all protrude the same distancebeyond the edge 21 of the plate to project through holes in the mounting panel 9 when the edge 21 bears against the panel.

Accordingly, the terminal assembly of this invention coacts with the mounting bracket 17 to properly position the control on the mounting panel and also, when the control is mounted on the panel the connection of its various terminals to their respective leads printed on the panel may be easily and quickly effected by any of the several techniques developed for this purpose.

What is claimed as our invention is:

An electric switch having a housing comprising a Hat end wall of insulating material and a metal side wall provided with an inturned flange overlying the outer face of the marginal portion of the end wall, and having contacts mounted on the inner face of the end wall with terminal extensions projecting through the end wall, char acterized by a terminal assembly to facilitate connecting the switch into a circuit printed on a mounting panel, said terminal assembly comprising: a plate of insulating ma terial fiatwise overlying the outer face of said end wall and the inturned flange with a portion of the plate projecting beyond the side Wall of the switch housing and having an edge remote from the side Wall engageable with the printed circuit panel to space the switch a predeter- .4 mined distance from the panel, said plate having holes in line with the terminal extensions of the contacts and through which said extensions pass, and having a row of notches in said edge of the plate, one notch for each of said holes; a stamped sheet metal terminal member for each of said terminal extensions, said stamped sheet metal terminal members overlying the outer face of the plate so that the plate is between the terminal members and the inturned edge of the side wall and each terminal member having a hook received in one of the notches and engaged over the inner end or bottom thereof, each of said terminal members also having an inner end portion overlying one of the holes in the plate and having a hole in which the terminal extension is received; soldered connections securing the inner end portions of the terminal members to their respective terminal extensions and thereby coacting with the engagement of'the hooks over the inner ends or bottoms of their respective notches to hold the terminal assembly on the switch; and prong forming portions on the terminal members projecting beyond said edge of the plate and parallel to one another to protrude through holes in the mounting panel when said edge of the plate bears against the panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

